Entry criteria for skilled foreign migrants entering Japan

The Japanese government is responding to calls from foreign governments that it facilitate a process of allowing skilled foreigners to enter, work and permanently reside in Japan. The entrenched conservatism of Japanese constituents has historically hindered this trend, however the Abe administration is taking measures to do exactly that. This of course flies in the face of fears of 'nationalism' by Abe. We can consider such moves as sure evidence that Abe is simply appeasing all parties - 'being all things to all interests'.

If you are interested in this skilled visa offering you can appraise your applicability by going to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOF). There are various excel spreadsheets you can download to self-assess your suitability. I have people say that they have been rejected despite having scored better than these numbers. This may reflect:
1. A cultural prejudice - whether justified or not. For instance, a graduate of the Nepal School of Business might not be highly regarded in Japan.
2. An over-estimate of one's skills - whether people think 'being published' is simply writing a book, versus being reviewed by a distinguished journal.
3. When they applied - There might in fact be a 'relaxation' of standards.

The rhetoric however is that Japan is applying high standards to vet candidates of a 'high quality'. This is perhaps to be expected given their 'conservatism'. The fact is however that Japan needs foreigners to prop up their population, and they also need to appear to be doing so with some regard for cultural sensitivity. It might look like the Japanese government does not have a plan, but its telling that both increases immigration and heightened nationalism are occurring concurrently. It is no accident. The government is attempting to desensitise nationalist or ultra-conservative sentiments.

A word of wisdom. If you are looking to reside in Japan, it is better to buy foreclosed property through the court system than private property through the normal channels. In rural areas, such property gets ridiculously cheap, but there is still a discount in the cities.

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Accessing internet or email in Japan using free or paid Wifi

Japan has among the best internet or telephony services in the world - unfortunately they regulate it as if they were in a police state....which in a sense you are. The good news is that - if you don't hurt them, they don't hurt you. The flipside of that is that there is a great deal of caution or apprehension about 'all things foreigner'. You will miraculously 'smell like roses' if you are accompanied or can call upon a Japanese person to account for your 'fitness for being in Japan'. It makes all the difference.
Alone =  Stranger
With Japanese = Street credibility

This looks like racism; but I'm inclined to think of it as just old-fashion ignorance wrapped up in a very tragic sense of life deriving from their ignorance and risk avoidance. So when it comes to securing wifi access its harder, because you are required to overcome a hurdle - and that is being recognised as a resident. The only way to overcome that is being 'sponsored' by a Japanese citizen/resident. Now, I don't mean a formal 'sponsorship', but for Japanese it carries that stigma. If you have a Japanese girlfriend who trusts you, its easy. If you don't, then there is stigmatism for someone to trust you, because Japanese are kind of paranoid about attracting the wrong type of attention. Maybe the same as Westerners feel about the tax office. ...ok, Americans and Australian tax offices....if they aren't all bad enough.

If you don't have residency, or someone to act as a proxy for your 'residency', then there are fewer options for internet, but they are pretty good anyway.
1. Gaijin house - If you can afford a hotel room for a long time, you can pretty well afford any communications option, however most won't'. A low-cost accommodation option that comes with wifi usually is a Gaijin House. They generally offer accomodation by the week - though possibly for  month minimum. Rents are Y50,000 - 130,000 per month usually, but there list of locations in the major cities is impressive.
2. Softbank is one of the largest telephony companies in Japan. They offer internet for Y490 ($US6) per 24 hours day, through a regional wifi/cellphone network. Its effectively unliimited, but having used this service, I often found it a struggle to access. I think the reason is that data users get low priority, so in busy times, you simply don't get access. It might depend on your location, so give it a go. Its discretionary, so its not a huge commitment. You can access the service through your wifi link (they are all over Japan, but typically around train station hubs), or you can purchase using a credit card at https://exsupport.sbwifi.jp/service_web/en/index_pc.html.
3. Food/Coffee franchisees: The international fast-food companies like Starbucks and McDonalds offer wifi in-store, usually with online browser sign-in. In the case of Starbucks, you need to pre-register.  i.e. You need to be able to pre-access your email to get the code that you send yourself. See http://starbucks.wi2.co.jp/sp/sma_index_en.html. These services are free, however of course you need to buy food or a beverage.
4. Modem rental: There are several companies which allow you to rent wifi modems at the airport for use around Japan. These services take advantage of the extensive network coverage of telephony companies to offer Wifi. See http://japan-wireless.com or http://www.globaladvancedcomm.com/pocketwifi.html and http://www.globaldata.jp/en/?gclid=CPSG_dCGr70CFVcHvAodj5kAfg. They charge $9/day, and you can pick up the modem at the airport and drop it off when you leave.

Now, if you do have friends in Japan who can act as a sponsor for you, then you can get a SIM card. This means that you can get a pre-paid service, or even a contract if you are sure of staying a long time. This would entail you and a friend going to the local telephony company and buying a SIM card and 'flash modem' to plug into your USB slot. If you need English language support, try Bic Camera in Ikebukuro, Akihabara or Shibuya (precincts of Tokyo). Most telephony offices don't offer English support. If your airport has a suitable telco office (Docomo or Softbank), and your friend is at hand, then maybe the place to get you connected.

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Holidaying in Japan

Japan has always been a very appealing place for me, for numerous reasons. Over the last 20 years I’ve lived there 3 years, and probably been there about 30 times….mostly because I never found the 90 day visa sufficient. In any respect, its pertinent to note the current appeal of Japan:

1. Gaijin houses - The ease of staying in the inner cities cheaply – Pay by the month for ‘Gaijin houses’ for $700-1000 per month. For shorter stays, men might want to try the ‘capsule hotels’ in most major cities, offering all night bath & sleep for Y3000-4000 in the entertainment districts. A great way to travel around Japan. 

2. Japan Rail - The low cost of tourist travel – get a Japan Rail Pass before the ‘huge concession’ disappears. JR will get you to most places; even if there are other networks. You can even ride the shinkansen fast-train service. 

3. Technology centre - The appeal of Japan as a technology ‘hub’ is in decline. Japan has largely been overtaken by other countries. There was a time when Japan offered train schedules, weather, maps on phones; when I-mode was leading Japan’s telco revolution. Those times have past. Now, Japan is only leading in the bathroom with its ‘lifestyle bath’ and toilet. Hardly ‘riveting’ cultural developments. Be sure to buy some cheap electronics there – you might need to go to places like Bic Camera to get English operating system.

4. The appeal of a big city – great restaurants, pubs. Tokyo has 20 mil people. Roppongi is the centre for expatriates; however I have just as thrilling experiences in rural areas…its different. The most appealing cities to me where Tokyo (culture & expat life), Hiroshima (bars in Tenjin) and Fukuoka (relaxed people)

5. The appeal of nature – With a JR Pass you can see parts of Japan which most Japanese have not seen. Japan’s nature is very special. The mountains are actually less appealing that the rivers and riverside villages. Don’t expect beautiful coastlines. The trains are the best way to see these idyllic ‘remote’ areas. The JR Pass is the key – along with the www.hyperdia.com English train schedule. I would literarily get on a local train to go to central Tokyo (Shinjuku-Chuo Line) to jump on a shinkansen to go 200-300km in an hour, then get a local train to these idyllic areas, then come back on another shinkansen line without booking. You just need to optimize by planning your connections, but not needing to book is so flexible. 

6. Expatriate lifestyle – meet other Western expatriates as well as Japanese people who want to meet Westerners

7. Safety – You are less likely to get ‘knocked off’ here than anywhere in the world. 

8. Currency – It is far easy to get money in Japan since Japan Post offered Cirrus-Maestro connectivity for all major credit cards. Know where your post office is located. This is important! 

9. Cultural icon – Japan is different! I don’t know another place like it. The people are unique; they’ve defined their own style; they life differently. They are interesting; and you might just note that they were ‘successful’ as a culture for a reason, though it might not appear so endearing today after 20 years of stagnation. Not everyone is friendly; but not always for the reasons you might think. They are different! 

10.   Bicycle experience - The bicycle is another great way to travel in Japan. Make sure you have a GPS; and note the importance of stream channels and rivers in defining paths. Rivers are great open spaces in Japan. 

11.   Learn about Japan - There is a Japan Times in most public libraries - in and outside of Japan.

Many Westerners would not go to Asia - too undeveloped. This is not Japan. Korea has the 'feel' of Japan 30 years ago. I'd not go to Korea unless you paid me. I can count my positive experiences there on my hand. Japan, I can get that from a single person. Lovely people; great place. Better still if you can find an opportunity to live there; whether its working as an English teacher, finance, software, tattooing, restaurant, etc. The first step is a holiday experience. 

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Strong recovery in Japanese tourism since March 2011 earthquake/tsunami

The decision of the Abe administration to opt for monetary and fiscal stimulus in Japan is destined to see an increase in tourist numbers to Japan. Tourism collapsed in the wake of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in northern Honshu. The tsunami crippled the Fukushima nuclear power station, resulting in a melt down of a reactor, as well as severe and irrepairable damage to other reactors, closing the plant permanently. Today, there is a 'no-go zone' of 12km2 around the plant, as well as problems containing the contamination from the plant. High radioistope counts in the river and offshore have sparked import restrictions from countries like Korea. The concern of course is that Japan will dump contaminated food in foreign markets. 

On the positive side, the weakness is the Yen has prompted many people to travel to Japan. Perhaps they are avoiding the 'nuclear zone', located about 100km north of Tokyo's Narita International Airport. In any respect, Japan is 'cheap' because:

1. It has not experienced inflation thanks to weak wages growth and growing competition

2. Travel is still appealing with the Japan Rail Pass

3. The weak Yen, which is the result of low interest rates, a falling savings rate over the last decade

4. Expansion of the monetary base in recent times, which has effectively debased the currency.

Japan will of course be looking to strong exports and tourism to make up for the difference. It is a very attractive policy for the Japanese for several reasons:

1. There is still strong support for opening up Japan to immigration. Tourism helps to familiarise Japanese people with foreigners, because they still carry a great deal of apprehension. 

2. The influx of foreigners can be expected to contribute to the Japanese economic recovery, and thus, rather than being associated with high crime, they might instead be associated with a strong economy and prosperity. 

Nationalists will of course lament the 'selling out' to foreigners. This of course more likely a point of vulnerability when the Conservatives are in fact in power, so they will need to offset disgruntled Nationalists by sustaining the support of former Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) supporters. This seems likely.

To date the policy is working for tourism, given that tourist arrivals at Narita alone have grown from 321,625 in April 2011 (right after the quake/tsunami) to a 30-month high of 834,089 (March 2011).* The implication is that tourism levels have normalised; so it remains to be seen whether this trend will be sustained because globally tourism is weaker. There is of course the concern of Japan 'stimulating' its economy when the rest of the world is struggling with difficult trading conditions. This will of course mean that Japan just sucks in more imports. Greater tourism from Asia might be the saving 'grace' for the country. 

Japan has a lot to offer. I spent a month in Japan at my holiday home; a foreclosed property I bought some 10 years ago now. Japan surprisingly has the cheapest property in the world. My property was purchased for $28,000 at the time, and it costs me just $300 per annum in fees. The land is more valuable. I bought 7km from a major city centre and rail head, and its just 36 minutes by express train to Ikebukuro, on the edge of Tokyo city. There are smaller cities like Tokorazawa which are even closer. My local city however has plenty of restaurants, bars and department stores, so I need only go to the city to meet foreigners, and perhaps to buy electronics. I bought the property as a tourist, however home ownership is not a basis for staying in the country. You need to leave every 90-days...so I generally fly to the Philippines or HK and return. It is common to seek sponsorship to work in Japan with an English school in the country. If you want more information on foreclosed property, you might want to view this page. For more information on Japanese tourism, read my other posts, or you can ask me questions, and I'll respond on this blog by directing you to the update. 

* “Narita to retire inter-terminal buses, use walkways” by Tomohiro Osaki, Japan Times, website, SEP 20, 2013.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Japan liberalises visa restrictions on immediate family - Thai, Malaysians, Filipinos, Vietnamese

Prime Minister Abe - you nice guy you! Asian immigrants thank you

The Japanese government has taken a ground-breaking step towards the liberalisation of its visa restrictions for citizens of emerging market countries who are immediate family of residents of Japan. This move follows similar measures by NZ, which allowed Filipinos to travel to NZ as long as they could demonstrate sufficient financial resources. 

In the case of Filpinos, Vietnamese, Thais, Malaysians travelling to Japan, they are now able to get a 1-3 year multiple-entry visa if they are immediate family members (spouse or sibling) of a Japanese resident, who of course will be on a recognised resident visa. Filipinos can find further information at their embassy website.

These are very interesting developments because people might be interpreted with a degree of apprehensions in terms of his policy direction. In some respects, he might be construed as placating nationalist sentiments by canvassing military pre-emption, but on the other hand he is canvassing liberal policies such as these. Is he attempting to be all things to all persons, or is he secretly, just a nice guy? 

The reality is I suggest that Japan is passing through another period of reawakening and this is just another step/sign that this is the case. This is not a 'nationalist' measure by any means. This is contemporaneously the type of policy we would expect of a third world country, and the fact that Japan has belatedly joined the trade negotiations is another sign. Its 'pragmatic' exclusion of rice from trade protectionism might be construed as contrary to these steps, but I simply see rice as Japan's welfare state for its aging population. Why would you not want to keep your aging population gainfully employed? Too many anti-intellectual 'conservative' libertarians would deplore such a policy, but in the context of an aging population that needs work, if their pay was not sucking in imports, as its not, its hard not to sanction such measures as supportive of domestic economic activity. In this sense, I have always welcomed the common-sense public policy that develops in Japan. Japan does not readily sink into the liberal-conservative false dichotomy. Some parties of course appeal to anti-intellectual constituencies. 

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Mixed nuts anyone?

One of the pleasures of living in Japan is the food. Japanese people are passionate about food. As it will be demonstrated; all types of food. There was an interesting story in Japan Today about a group of asexual men who served up their testicles to a group of attendees to a party.
There is no law against such practices in Japan, so you might wonder whether they should be charged. The police finally came up with a charge for 'the display of obscene objects'.
Since I lean towards the plant-variety of nuts, I was more interested in the ethical aspects of this story. It raises interesting questions about the efficacy of the law. Consider:
1. The apparent arbitrariness of laws that people can cause injury to others and seemingly get away with it because there is no historic case to draw a 'precedence' or no 'provision' for such an act, merely because there was no anticipation of the act.
2. The spectre of a police force charging a person with a dubious law merely because they are incensed by the act, or because it caused public outrage

The problem of course is that this act is indeed immoral; even if it is not illegal. The law ought to reflect legal concepts. This case illustrates the fact that there is no link. The problem with the acts of these men is clearly that they deceived the attendees of this event. Would there be so much outrage if the host had served water buffalo meat? Probably not. What if it was cow's testicles? What if the consumers were very pleased with the delicious taste of their 'mixed nuts' and only became incensed by the nature of their act, i.e. There is of course a psychological implication to their act. There is of course a difficulty defining exactly what is appropriate and what is not. Frog testicles are probably less controversial.
Certainly given the nature of the crime, the hosts intended to cause a spectacle. They did seek to determine whether their acts were illegal, but apparently they thought legality was a substitute for morality. There was no physical consequence; though there might well be a psychological impact. What punitive measure should be taken for such a deception:
1. Self-funded counselling and psychological admittance
2. Fine of Y2.5mil as indicated
3. Criminal incarceration
4. Refund for non-performance
5. Another appetizer?
I personally think the psychological counselling is an appropriate measure as well as a refund.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Longer 5-year working visa for expatriate residents of Japan

For Westerners getting a working visa in Japan, the terms are getting sweeter. It is now possible to get a 5-year visa, with an automatic multiple re-entry....well I'm assuming that is only if you have a job, but I'm not sure about that. What I can tell you is before that many people struggled to even get a 3-year visa. I had no problem, but that might be because my first visas to Japan were sponsored by two of the largest corporations in Japan - Sumitomo Group and Mitsubishi Materials. I've spoken to Americans who've said that they were only ever given 1-year visas, and that they had to go to Immigration to update them each year.
The new system will be much appreciated. Read about the revision of policy in this Japan Times article.

I fully recommend taking the opportunity to work in Japan - the most popular areas are English teaching, finance and recruitment. It is relatively hard to get a business visa. You need to set up a business, prepare a business plan, etc. Sounds reasonable, but for some the process will be too onerous.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Full circle for Japan on intellectual property

There was a time when Japan was greatly criticised for copying American and European designs in the 1960s and 1970s. Very little evidence emerged to castigate Japan's practices. So it is interesting in the modern era to observe a case where Japanese employees are being accused of selling intellectual property to Chinese competitors. One has to wonder whether these 'accused' parties learnt their moral convictions from their fathers - who plausibly sought out American engineers to pay off for American secrets. There is of course the sordid paradox for Japan to deal with. Are Japanese people guilty of doing what Chinese nationals are doing today? Would not the Chinese government feel entitled to ignore the accusations of the Japanese government, as the Japanese government did years ago? 

OR....we could accept that moral imperatives are not subjective or pragmatic; and that intellectual property serves a very important 'conceptual' value in rewarding minds; notwithstanding the flawed regime which has a tendency to protect 'monopolies' than reward ideas. 

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

A symbol of Japanese arrogance?

I note that Tokyo has completed the tallest tower in the world. You might ask what is the purpose of this structure? Is it a symbol of mankind's greatest; a testament to the financiers arrogance? Or simply a person's desire to make money. In fairness, I am not sure. Maybe this structure is constructed of superior high-strength tensile steels, and will ultimately advance building construction. It is questionable whether such a structure would be commercially sensible; though it might be given the cost of land in central Tokyo.

One is however left with the apparent motive of this building - a rather ambitious structure given that Japan has been struggling to get out of recession for the last 20 years? A supreme act of arrogance. We need only look at the football stadiums built for the World Cup, which are barely used. Hard to justify when the nation even shared the hosting with South Korea.

In any respect, I know someone working in this building. Personally, I think I would resign if my employer's office was in such a building. Why? The structure is untested in a severe earthquake. Now, as a conceptual thinker, I would argue that ideas help us to see around corners. The problem I have with people is that they tend to assume too much. So when you start building structures seemingly 4x taller than any other in the region, I start to wonder whether its sensible assumptions underpinning their thinking. Might this be a testament to the same type of arrogance and evasion that saw Tokyo Electric expose the Japanese people to radiation in the recent earthquake. All it takes is an engineering design flaw; notwithstanding towers will sway; minds sway too when their decision-making is governed by arrogance. All the more common in collectivist countries...which is pretty well all countries, but Japan is among the most collectivist.

One has to ask is this a befitting symbol for Japan? Might the next 'Twin Towers' scandal be an act of incompetence rather than a malicious act. Well, it might be years before we know. One would fully expect 20,000 people to die if this structure fell. This would depend on how it fell. I know nothing of its construction; and broadly I support advancement, but I would first question the underlying motives for building these structures....and nothing I hear tells me they are sound.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

DPJ elects Yoshihiko Noda as party leader and PM

The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) has a new prime minister and party leader Yoshihiko Noda. The 'anti-Ozawa' member of the party will need to appoint a new cabinet which is likely to include some members of the other 'Ozawa faction', in order to satisfy both sides of the party which have been struggling with disunity. With a general election 2 years ago, Noda will need to offer in this period to give the party the best possible chance in the election.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Discount airlines enter Japanese domestic market

Japan has been a notoriously difficult place to fly with discount airlines. In the past there have been a few Chinese airlines, along with Jetstar and Air Asia X and Cebu Pacific, which have been servicing the major cities of Osaka and Tokyo.

Japan's two major airlines - ANA and JAL - have entered into arrangements with two discount airlines - Air Asia (Malaysia) and Jetstar (Australian, Qantas subsidiary) respectively to offer cheaper domestic connections. Really this gives these domestic carriers greater access to tap into the local market, as well as allowing the majors to retain high prices for Japanese customers who are not price-sensitive.

See the story at the Japan Times - my favourite newspaper in Japan.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Japanese brewer decision-making questionable

Asahi Brewing Group is about to buy into Independent Liquor of New Zealand. This is a bizarre acquisition for the Japanese brewer for several reasons:

1. There is an alcohol consumption or cultural shift taking place in NZ, which is likely to see per capita consumption fall

2. The country's population is static - the young go to Australia, UK or Japan for work, and they are replaced by Asian immigrants or retirees who are less likely to drink beer.

3. The currency is at a high - though not as bad against the yen.

4. The economy is in a slump. Commodity prices are high, but then so is the currency

5. Japanese beers have no presences or reputation in NZ

Unless the corresponding price for the asset is good, then I don't think I'd be discarding those yen so easily. Their purchase in Australia makes more sense. I'd be buying San Miguel Brewing in the Philippines. The population is growing at 2%, and there is always the prospect of the poor, whom consume their own domestic brew, opting for a branded 'club' product.

Japanese companies seem seldom to exercise good decisions when investing in foreign markets; this looks like another case. Sorry, NZ, I'm more critical when we lose the footy...but only because I can't stand the game.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Interactive map of earthquake activity

Take a look at a NY Times interactive map prepared by NASA. It shows the distribution of radiation, loss of lives from the earthquake & tsunami, as well as the centres of the aftershocks since the main earthquake. It also offers a probable death toll of 14,554 people, though at this point the confirmed deaths are 13,232.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

The death of a sushi franchise

Spare a thought for the endangered blue fin tuna the next time you have your next sushi - in Japan or outside, since this type of Japanese cuisine has become very popular around the world in the last few years, precipitating over-fishing.

NY Times covers this story. Mind you, this could be a liberal in the media having a panic attack. Irrespective this is a valuable resource that needs to be managed...and given Japan's obsession with all things 'sushi', I bet they could care less about the long range implications of tuna stocks...In Japan, sushi is political.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Tsunami imagery from Japan

Imagery of Japan's tsunami. Weeks after the event here is some more imagery of the tsunami. It is among the best imagery I have seen. It will be interesting to see if they ever track down the guy running away from the tsunami.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Might Japan face civil war?

We are accustomed of course to Japanese people being so obedient and civil, you might be inclined to question my thesis that Japan might well be confronting a threat of civil war. But consider the following:

1. There are a great many Japanese people who are struggling to make a living; to get ahead in this economy.

2. There is this nuclear program opposed by the public, launched by the government irrespective of public concerns.

3. There is the lying by the government about the dangers

4. There is the fact that people have no effective voice in government, and never had. It was all a delusional pretense. People did not think it through. They still don't.

5. There is a great deal of unrest around the world; most particularly in the Middle East

6. There are issues endless corruption in government

7. There is the spectre of a huge public sector debt of 220% of GDP, with plans for another spend on this earthquake funding of $US0.5 trillion. There is the problem of 20 years of economic stagnation.

8. There is the prospect of increasing hardship as the population comes to terms with fuel shortages, higher taxation.

We might asks - what could happen? Already many Japanese decide to take their lives. We might expect more suicide. Might we expect a charismatic leader to emerge given the political stalemate in the parliament. The parliament seems to be bogged down by corruption issues.

At some point people tend to break. People who have repressed their anxieties or frustrations are the worst. In Japan, it poses a systematic risk. Already many Japanese children decide to live and marry abroad. Might we expect another exodus? The Japanese have traditionally made a virtue of suffering. Is there any sign that that will finally break? I don't see it. I think they would need to be lead by some charismatic leader, and there is no sign. Having said that there might be a political campaign that I am not aware of. The Japanese are among the most organised people in the world; but most organisation is government-driven. Anyway, it is something to watch for. The tsunami might be another step towards chaos. I don't see any trigger for Japan to reach its tipping point. Perhaps one might emerge out of this crisis. Many a city mayor who is heralded for their courage and quick thinking who becomes a national hero.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Hague Convention poor system for arbitrating international marriages

Japan is considering its policy stance on the Hague Convention governing International Child Abduction. The reality is that its not really even abduction so long as Japan offers its citizens another legal standard.

Japanese women can be just as manipulative as (Western) men can be abusive. There is no question that some Western men are predators when it comes to their pursuits of Japanese women. Japanese women are famous for being submissive. That is a cultural generalisation that has allowed a great many men to play the odds. Some men denied validation seek out Japanese partners because they can also have intimacy issues. Likewise submissive Japanese women can tolerate abusive Western men enabled by their 'mute' compliance.

This ought not dispel the possibility that Japanese women are capable of manipulation. Whilst Japanese women do not generally display a great sense of ambition; make no mistake they will distort reality to achieve their subjective, nurturing desire to retain their children. The prospect of a Japanese government which retains the stereotype of Western men being abusive is of course not helpful. Japanese culture upholds this 'superiority' based on their notion of civility which is based on some notion of 'sensibility', 'courtesy' or consideration for others. The reality is that value system is far more a pretense than a genuine respect for rights or the interests of others, and the stereotype of Westerners being 'aggressive' or uncivilised 'egoists' plays into such issues where Japanese women are able to 'play victim' without proper scrutiny of the issue. Consider the following quote from a women in the Japan Times article:

"If Japan were to sign the Hague Convention . . . (my child would) be forced to live with an abusive father and be exposed to violence again....And I will become a (declared) criminal."

When I first read this I assumed she was concerned about some form of prejudicial treatment....but in fact she is worried about having broken the law in the West, and being accountable for that. Her desire is to avoid Western legal enforcement because the Japanese system created a loophole. The reality is that this woman does not deserve to be in prison. Her actions speak more about the poor legal system which turns people into adversaries.

Many years ago I was interested in a relationship with a Japanese girl in Cairns, Australia who had a child with an Australian man. What struck me as telling was that she displayed no empathy for the guy who was preventing her from getting a passport for her child; precisely because he was aware that Japan had not signed the Hague Convention. If she was genuine in taking her child to Japan for a visit, she was being punished by the Japanese government because her partner needed to taken precautionary measures to protect his interests.

Labelling Westerners as abusive or 'aggressive' is cultural cringe. In my relationship with a Japanese lady. She was the 'abusive' one in a sense....though it was not threatening to me. There was one incident where she pushed me up against a wall. In another case, she came at me with a knife in anger because an argument ensued over the fact that I said "I wanted to cook a roast lamb the way my mother used to cook it". That is the kiss of death to a Japanese wife who sees cooking as her domain. I don't believe she intended to hurt me with the knife. I think she did not even realise she had it in her hand when she came at me, but I pushed her away in self-defense. The reality is - women can react very emotionally, and very defensively to 'cold logic', which she got in spades from me.

These is a problem. Couples who break up and who want to part ways divide the interests of the children. How to deal with this issue when - only Japan - has a different legal system. The problem of course is that these (usually) women usually have no desire to live in the West after their relationship ends. Where does the child go? commonsense says its best left in the country where it has pre-existing relationships. Abuse of course needs to be investigated...but its not the role of a partner to be the presiding judge and determine the interests of the child if they have a conflict of interest. Japan knows that...they have laws against conflict of interest. Why the obstinate delays to signing this convention.

The Japanese government is creating a lot of paranoia and injury with this law. I do however think there needs to be special international tribunals to deal with such issues. I suggest that each country appoints an advocate for its culture and that two advocates and one independent 'third party' advocate provide arbitration on these cases, because there is a rich personal and cultural context which needs to be explored. This approach is far better than a Family Court which has no informed understanding of the cultural context. The implication is that the Hague Convention is not an adequate framework for dealing with these issues. In the current system people's interests are going to be prejudiced by uninformed courts.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Japanese translation of 'Atlas Shrugged'

Here is a Japanese translation of a book that all Japanese 'free-thinking' people should read. Too many Japanese people who lament the Japanese way of living challenge the values of Japan. This book 'Atlas Shrugged', by Ayn Rand, goes a long way towards developing a coherent intellectual framework to challenge and understand the values of contemporary life. I don't believe Rand achieved complete appreciation of the problem, and certainly she offers only limited 'political inspiration' for Japanese people, however the themes have pertinence to all of humanity.

Her book is among Random Houses' top 100 of all time - the readers choice. Not bad for a book as controversial as this. She is either hated or praised. She has changed people's lives including mine. Japanese people might avoid such controversy. I say they need to confront it. People hate the book and the author precisely because the ideas are threatening. That is reason enough to analyse its content - because you might well be scared of it. Its a horrid little tale about contemporary society....even it its set in a fictional period 50-odd years ago.

Find the book here. Discuss the book here.

Rand is the closest approximation to my own ideas. Eventually I will publish these, but they are still work in progress. One cannot just write one book; one has to write a system of them. In the interim, I only deal with concrete political, relationship, investment issues on my blogs. The coherency will eventually come with publication of the philosophical content.

I personally agree with about 95% of what Rand wrote, and intend to add about 30% to what she didn't say; mostly in the realm of psychology and politics. This is not a criticism, but rather recognition that she was foremost an author who developed a philosophy to develop her characters. If she had written just philosophy, its probable that she would not have bad any influence in her lifetime. She was foremost a 'targeted' purposeful missile, and she struck her target audience. The role of post-Randians like myself is to refine or extrapolate her ideas to give them greater pertinence and coherence. Some ideas are merely implicit in Randian philosophy; but in other areas, there are gaps. Those gaps are often true to her purpose. i.e. Her lack of politics might be construed as a desire to avoid controversy which would bury her deeper convictions.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Japanese CEOs offer solutions to age-old problems

Does the world have anything to learn from Japan's business executives? Reading the CNN press responses to this article, you would think so...but I say think again. This story is about the Japan Airlines CEO who earns less than his pilots.

If such thinking was not based on a collectivist pride, maybe that value system would work wonders for Japan. i.e. If it was about earning your salary. As it stands, it is only delaying the inevitable 'real reform' of values in Japan. The values which mean that people work twice as hard for the same money. The Japanese take pride in suffering to new levels....its about time they gave up working hard and used their brains. They can run around like 'worker ants', but they sadly live by that old thinking...'work hard and you will get ahead'....better to work smart.

The Japanese system is based on collectivist or fascist values with a capitalist facade.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

WIMAX services in Japan

Japan is one of the most communications-friendly countries in the world, and that reputation is only going to get better with the roll-out of WIMAX services. KDDI, the largest cell phone company is developing a WIMAX network through UQ Communications. You will need a USB modem - see this gizmo. There is a 2 month free period, though this might be tied to a contract. You will need to assess the coverage in your areas of interest. It is good however the network is supported by KDDI. The cost is Y4650 per month I believe.

This is great news. Even better if they offer a volume plan for those intermittent visitors to Japan.

NZ Property Guide Philippine Real Estate Guide Japan Foreclosed Guide

Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com